The Seventieth Hunger Games (First in my Hunger Games story series)
by LilyNevermore
Summary: This is Lily. She is Peeta's older sister. This is going to be her Hunger Games and how she met Finnick. I will be writing the other Hunger Games with her in it later. Lily is 15 when she is sent off to the Hunger Games. With a district partner, she doesn't know, Lily is on her own for this. But will she find a friend in a victor from a different district? Read on to find out.
1. Chapter 1

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 1

Hey guys! So, this is the first real chapter to my new story. Please review and tell me your thoughts and ideas. Now, on with the chapter!

Lily's POV:

The morning of Reaping Day was as dreary as ever. It took me 4 minutes just to get out of bed. I finally stood up and walked to the window. I see the streets and people milling about. For District 12, I live in a pretty good place. I feel sorry for the people that live in the Seam, but nobody in Panem can truly be happy. Sure, the Capital citizens can wear their "glamorous" clothing and strange makeup to try to fool themselves into happiness. But even for them it's not real. I got dressed in my Reaping Day dress. It's a mint colored light-to-dark ombre peasant dress, that's cinched at the waist and has short sleeves. It's summer now, thank God. I, of course, wore my little oval-shaped gold locket that I got for my 13th birthday. It was my favorite thing that I own. I left my waist-length hair loose and looked in the mirror. I looked okay. Everyone tells me I'm prettier than I think I am. But when I see myself, I just see a normal 15-year-old girl. I couldn't think of more things to do, so I went downstairs. The bakery was as busy as ever. People were getting treats to celebrate with, if they didn't get reaped.

"Lillian?" Mom said.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"I need you to go to the market and get more ingredients," Mom said. "Reaping Day is the busiest, sometimes and we're running out."

"Alright, mother," I said.

My parents and I have never been on the best of terms. They want me to focus on studies and be a perfect, classy girl from the good part of 12. If I do that, they think maybe, I can get to the Capital, someday. I would rather go to the Hunger Games. I'm smart. I know that. At the school they have old computers and I'm always getting into things that I shouldn't. Once, I accidently accessed the Capital Bank mainframe. That year, a surprisingly large sum of money was given to District 12. I was never caught.

I made my way to the market. I had slept late and it would be reaping time in almost an hour and a half. I looked at the list my mother had given me and picked out the things. My youngest brother, Peeta was only 12 and it was his first reaping. I wanted to spend some time with him today. Peeta was always my favorite brother. He's the only one that doesn't agree with what my parents want me to be.

After buying the ingredients, I walked home fast. I saw Katniss Everdeen walking around with Gale Hawthorn. I've seen them a lot. Katniss is in Peeta's class and Gale is the class under mine. I like Katniss. She's a very good shot with a bow. But there's something about Gale that bothers me. I'm polite to his face, of course. But there's something.

I walked back into the bakery and set the bag of ingredients on the counter.

"Thank you, Lillian," Mother said. "Go help Peeta with the cakes."

I sat down at a table with Peeta. He was unusually quiet, but I knew why. Before I could ask him Peeta said, "It's Reaping Day."  
"Yes, it is, Peeta," I replied.

"What if I get picked," Peeta said. "I'm old enough now."

"It's your first year, Peeta," I said. "You won't get picked."

"But what if you get picked?"

I froze. "I won't leave you, Peeta. Even if I get picked, I'll try to win for you."

"Promise?" Peeta said. "You'll come back?"

I didn't say anything for a minute. "Yes, Peeta. I promise. But I don't plan on getting picked."

I stood in the middle of the crowd in front of the Justice Building. Effie Trinket stood in front of the microphone and Haymitch Abernathy sits in a chair near the back of the edge of the stairs that they were using as a stage. The mayor sat there, as well, looking distracted.

"Happy Hunger Games," Effie said into the microphone. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Oh please," I muttered to myself.

Two large bowls sat on tables on either side on Effie. One, held the girl's name and the other held the boy's.

"As always," Effie said, "ladies first."

Effie's hand fished around the bowl for a moment. Then, she pulled out a piece of paper and read the name in a clear voice.

"Lillian Mellark."

I stood still for a minute. _How? How is it me? My name isn't even in there that many times._

"Lillian Mellark?" Effie repeated. "Please come up here."

I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me upset. I held my head high and walked up the stairs next to Effie. I looked out to the crowd. My parents looked disappointed… yes, disappointed. Not sad. Not worried. Disappointed. I wasn't surprised. To them, all they were losing was a possible ticket to the Capital. Even if I got to the Capital, I wouldn't bring them with. Vincent and Will, just looked worried, but Peeta looked heartbroken. I gave him a small smile.

"Wonderful," Effie said. "And now, for the boys."

Effie reached into the other bowl and pulled out a name.

"Ethan Elliot," Effie said.

I didn't really know him. He was in my class, but I didn't know him. Ethan walked up to where Effie and I stood. After the Treaty of Treason, Ethan and I shook hands. Then the anthem and we were taken into custody. By that, I mean we were ushered into the Justice Building by the Peace Keepers. I was taken to a separate room and sat on a chair. After a while, the door opened and Peeta walked in.

"Peeta," I said. I stood up and Peeta ran to me and hugged me. I bent down so that I was at his eye-level.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I said.

"Will you keep your promise?" Peeta said. "Will you try to come back?"

"Yes," I said. "I will try." I hugged Peeta again.

"Listen," I said. "Keep yourself busy and don't worry too much. You're gonna have to do cakes without me for a while, okay?"

"Okay," Peeta said. "It'll be okay, Peeta," I said. "One way, or another. But I will keep my promise. I will try to come back to you."

Peeta nodded.

"I'm gonna miss you, Lily Peeta said.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Peeta," I said.

We hugged one last time, before Peeta had to leave. None of the rest of my family came to see me. I expected that. Before long, it was time to leave for the train.

The train was as glamorous as I'd imagined. Ethan was really quiet and hadn't said one word to me, not that I cared. You can't have friends in this game. It's too easy for them to turn on you. I sat at a table with Effie and Ethan. Ethan was staring out the window and refused to answer Effie, so she turned to me.

"How old are you, dear?" Effie asked.

"15," I answered.

"It's Lillian, isn't it?" Effie said.

"It's Lily," I said.

"Well, Lily, I'm sure you'll love the rooms in the Capital. It's beautiful."

"It makes sense. They let us live large for a week, before they send us off to our deaths, right?"

Effie looked flustered.

"That's what I thought," I said.

We reached the Capital 2 days after that. Haymitch was unsurprisingly unhelpful. But maybe he'll be better when we actually get there. I sat in a large white room. I was waiting for my prep team. That's what Effie called them. I eyed the wax strips and brushes and other beauty tools. I wasn't very dirty for 12, I don't think. I guess that's a perk of living in the better part of the district.

Finally, three people walked into the room, two women and a man. The first woman had purple hair, was very tall and the usual, odd Capital makeup. The second had green hair, was very short and had dyed her skin blue. The man had stark white curls and way too much eyeshadow.

"We are your prep team," the first woman said. "I'm Cassia. This is Lauria and Trevian. We're here to make you presentable, before you meet your stylist."

"Uh, okay," I said. "I'm Lily."

"Oh, we know you, silly," Lauria said.

"Okay," I said.

"Let's get on with it," Trevian said.

In the next two hours, I was washed, manicured, pedicured, hair conditioned, and more. They barely had to wax though. My family couldn't afford wax strips, but we could afford a shaving razor. Cassia put my long hair in two braids and then, they stood back and looked at their work. I saw wearing a thin silk robe and that's it.

"I think she's ready," Trevian said.

"Yes," Cassia said. "Let's get Tigris."

I have no idea who Tigris is, but I hope she doesn't make my costume involve me naked. I few minutes later, the door opened and a tall woman walked in. She was maybe 27, or 28. (A/N: I don't know if it's always that girls get boy stylists and boys get girl stylists, but I don't really care.) The woman had black hair and an interesting face. Her face bordered on feline. She had a small nose, her skin was tattooed with black tiger stripes, and she had a tiger tail. She was pretty, in a weird sort of way.

"Hello, Lily," Tigris said. "I'm Tigris, your stylist."

"Hi," I said.

"Well, I see your prep team did a good job," Tigris said. "So, why don't we go to the next room and talk about your opening ceremony costume."

I stood up and followed her out the door and into a small sitting room. Two small velvet couches were on either side of a table. On the table was a chicken and pasta dish that was cooked in a creamy sauce, a soup with mushrooms and peas and onions, small rolls that were shaped like flowers, a plate of cookies, and some small fruit pies.

"Wow," I said. "That's a lot of food."

"Yes," Tigris said. "How horrible you must find us, here in the Capital, being from the poorest district."

"I'm one of the more fortunate," I said. "I live in the better part of 12, it's not so bad."

Tigris and I sat down, each on one of the couches.

"Now, my partner, Florian, is working on Ethan. And, as you know, it's customary for your opening ceremony costumes to reflect your district," Tigris said.

"So, we'll be dressed as coal miners?" I asked.

"Well, the whole coal miner thing is a bit… boring," Tigris said. "So, Florian and I have decided to spice it up a little."

I was slightly alarmed. "I'm not gonna be naked, am I?"

Tigris laughed. "No. Florian and I have decided to take the coal colors like, greys and blacks and make something nice out of them and to mirror coal by using obsidian jewelry. How does that sound to you?"

"Good," I said. "As long as I'm not naked, I don't care that much."

Tigris smiled. "Do you have family back home?"

"Yeah. My parents and I don't really get along. I have three younger brothers, but the two oldest just follow what my parents think. But my youngest brother, Peeta… he's the one I'm fighting to live for."

"Well, I'm sure you will go home to him."

"Thanks."

The next night, I stood in front of the mirror. My dress was sleeveless. The halter top fit comfortably around my neck and the V-neck front went down a bit, but not so far that it makes me uncomfortable. I watch the layers a black and grey chiffon and tulle skirts that flow whenever I move. On top, a layer of lace covers the silk underdress that was sewn into the dress itself.

"What do you think?" Tigris said.

"It's beautiful," I said.

I was not wearing much makeup. Just highlighting in places and some black eyeshadow. My long hair flowed around my shoulders loosely. Tigris said it looked best down.

"I think you're ready," Tigris said. "Let's go."

Tigris and I walked downstairs. The elevator opened and I saw a large opening in the wall that leads to the opening ceremony stands and things. Several carriages were lined up. I saw Ethan standing in a carriage talking with to man with short blue hair. That must be Florian.

"There is some time before it starts," Tigris said. "Go wherever you want down here, talk to anybody."

"Okay," I said.

I saw Haymitch and Effie by the carriage that Ethan was standing in. Haymitch actually looked sober. I was right. He's pulling himself together now that we're here. I choose a back wall and leaned against it, watching the people milling about in front of me.

"Are you a new tribute?" Said a voice to my left.

I turned sharply. A boy stood in front of me. He was maybe, 17 with, bronze-blonde hair and sea green eyes. He was very tall and muscular. He was quite handsome and I think he knows it. I knew who he was in the back of my mind.

"Yes," I said.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Lily," I replied. "And you're Finnick Odair."

"You know me?" Finnick said.

"You're a victor," I said. "One of the youngest. Though, you're a career, so it's not that surprising."

"You look pretty young yourself," Finnick said. "How old are you?"

"15," I said. "District 12."

"12?" Finnick said. "You look too good to be from 12."

"I have a good stylist," I replied. "She thinks the coal miner thing is too old."

"She's right then," Finnick said. "I was wondering when they were gonna change that."

"Okay, why are you talking to me?" I asked. "You're a mentor. Shouldn't you be with the District 4 tributes?"

"I should," Finnick replied. "But, I like seeing this place through the eyes of someone not about to fight for their lives. What about you? Family back home to fight for?"

"Yes," I said. "I don't get along with most of my family, but I'm fighting for my youngest brother. He's 12."

"Sweet," Finnick said. A bell sounded.

"You should get back to your carriage," Finnick said. "That's the starting bell."

"Thanks for the tip," I said.

I ran off back to the carriage.

"Where were you?" Effie asked.

"Around," I replied.

I climbed into the carriage with Ethan.

"Remember, this is to help attract sponsors," Tigris said. "So, smile and wave. Good luck."

I gave her a nod and smiled. Then the District 12 carriage pulled out. I saw the others in front of us and the stands full of screaming people. I smiled and waved at the stands, just like Tigris said. The carriages pulled around in a circle and I looked up at the announcers. They were saying something, but I wasn't paying attention. I looked back at the stands. Lots of Capital people screamed and cheered for their favorite districts. _How am I gonna get through this?_

Alright, you guys, so that was Chapter 2. Not all the chapters are gonna be this long, but I'd rather have the first chapter be really long than really short. So, please review and tell me your thoughts and ideas. I'll update soon. Bye guys, - Lily


	2. Chapter 2

The Seventieth Hunger Games Chapter 2

Lily's POV:

The carriage pulled back into the building.

"You looked beautiful," Effie said.

"Well done," Tigris said. I only nodded.

"Good job," Haymitch said. He was addressing both Ethan and me. "Now, the next challenge is training, the evaluations, and the interviews. Let's go back to the penthouse."

Haymitch, Effie, Ethan, and I went back to the top floor apartment. Tigris and Florian had to go do something before dinner.

Effie was right about one thing. The penthouse was beautiful. With its marble floors and crystal chandeliers. My rooms themselves are like, the size of my entire house, including the bakery. The shower had probably 200 different buttons for water temperature, soaps, water pressure, scents, etc. I pick matching soap and hair products that smell like apple cinnamon. My hair is always knotted when I get out of the shower. So instead of struggling with it, I simply hit a button and a dryer box thing sends a current through my scalp. Detangling, parting, and drying all at once.

I program the closet to an outfit of my taste. A long-sleeved teal dress that falls to my knees and black ballet flat shoes. The window zooms in on different points of the city. I zoomed in on a small beach near the edge of the Capital. There isn't much water in 12, but I've always loved the look of water. All I have to do is whisper into a little microphone thing and order from the huge menu. Within minutes, the food appears. I decide on a large plate of those little fruit pies. The same as the ones they had at my lunch with Tigris. I sat on the bed, staring out the window and eating the little pies. Until there's a knock at the door and Effie is calling me for dinner.

Ethan, Effie, and Haymitch are out on the balcony and Tigris and Florian are already sitting at the table. I sat at the table as well and within 5 minutes Effie, Ethan, and Haymitch join us. I wasn't surprised by the food amounts anymore. I guess that's just how it is here.

After dinner, Haymitch began talking about training.

"Now, tomorrow is the first training session," Haymitch said. "Both of you, meet me here for breakfast and I'll tell you how to play it. Go get some sleep and let the grown-ups talk."

I rolled my eyes. There is no way I'm going to bed. When the adults couldn't see me anymore, I took a different hallway that led up to the roof.

"What are you doing?" Ethan said. This is the first time he's ever talked to me.

"I'm exploring," I said.

"You're gonna get in trouble Ethan said.

"So? If the Capital gets mad and kills me for going to the roof, I'm probably gonna die anyway. So, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"They won't kill you for going to the roof."

"I know that, idiot. I was making a point. And since when do you even care? This is the first time you've talked to me at all."

"I don't want to make friends here. It's too likely that we'll have to kill each other."

"That's fair. Just don't interfere with what I'm doing and I won't interfere with what you're doing, deal?"

Ethan stared at me. "Deal."

He walked off and I continued my assent to the roof.

I opened the door to the roof and was greeted by cool night air. I walked forward and leaned on the stone edge and I looked out over the city. It was beautiful, in an overly colorful sort of way.

"You can't jump, you know," said a voice behind me.

I whirled around. Finnick stood there. I didn't even hear the door open.

"Oh, it's you," I said. "I'm not here to try to jump."

"That's good," Finnick said. "Because there's a force field. Look."

I turned back to the edge. If you look closely, there was a slight shimmer in the air.

"Oh, yeah," I said.

"What are you doing up here, then?" Finnick asked.

"Haymitch told me to go to bed," I said. "I don't like doing what I'm told, so I went exploring."

"Hmm," Finnick said.

"How did you even get up here?" I asked.

"There's another staircase that comes up here," Finnick said. "So, you can get up here if you don't have the penthouse."

"Right. Why do keep talking to me?"

Finnick walked forward to stand next to me. "You're different. When you look at the tributes from 12, usually they don't really look like they have a horse in the race. But, you barely even look scared. Why is that?"

I looked up at him. He was at least three inches taller than me.

"Fear serves no propose here. If they see that you're scared, that's how you die. I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me scared and upset. If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna with dignity."

Finnick stared at me. "That's… impressive. Especially, for 15."

"I'm not leaving my little brother. But I doubt the rest of my family will even care if I die."

"That's kind of sad."

"I don't care anymore. All they see me as is a possible future ticket to the Capital. They hope, if I can be a perfect student and a perfect nice girl from a good family, I can get a job in the Capital and bring them with."

"But that's not what you want?"

"No. I just want to be me. And I don't even want to live in the Capital. Even if I did, I wouldn't bring them with."

There was a minute of silence and then Finnick changed the subject.

"Are you ready for training tomorrow?" Finnick asked.

"Shouldn't you be asking the kids from 4 that?"

"I already did. They're in bed."

"I guess, I'm ready. My district partner doesn't want to make friends. He doesn't want to take the chance that we'll have to kill each other. I understand, but that means I'm on my own."

"Maybe, it's better to be on your own. If you don't have allies, then you don't have to share resources."

"Yes," I said. "And you don't have to always watch that person. I can't say I would trust Ethan in the arena."

"That's probably smart. There can only be one winner. So, it's better not to make friends."

I turned to him. "Then why am I talking to you?"

"Because, I'm not a tribute," Finnick said. "So it's okay to be friends."

"Who said we're friends?"

"I don't know. But, it's nice to have someone to talk to that's not another tribute, believe me. I've been right where you are."

"Yes, you have. And that's probably true. About having someone to talk to."

"You probably should go to bed now. Make up for sleep that will be lost in the arena."

"You're probably right."

I walked back to the door and pulled it open. Then I looked back.

"Bye, Finnick."

"Bye, Lily."

Alright guys, I'm sorry this chapter is a little slow. But, next chapter is training, and the interview, and evaluations, and… the start of the games. So, stay tuned for the next chapter. I'll update soon and please review. Bye guys, - Lily


	3. Chapter 3

The Seventieth Hunger Games Chapter 3

Okay guys, I am so sorry for not updating for so long! I've just been really busy, but I'm back now, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let's go!

EAH HG GEEK: Thank you!

Lily's POV:

I woke up early in the morning. Nobody else was up yet, so I just showered, and got dressed. I wore a green shirt, black leggings, and black flats. I walked out to the dining room and saw a lot of food laid out. I wasn't hungry, but I took a plate anyway. I didn't want to regret not eating when I'm in the arena. I sat at the table with my plate and eat slowly, staring out the window. After a few minutes, Ethan and Haymitch walked out and each fixed a plate and sat down.

"Now," Haymitch said, "today is the first day of training. Do you guys have any special skills?"

I glanced at Ethan, not wanting to answer first.

"I'm okay with a knife," Ethan finally replied.

"Okay. What about you, Lily?"

I shrugged. "I'm a good climber. I'm agile, but as for weapons, I'm good with a crossbow."

"You're a good shot?"

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"Well, we don't want the other tributes to see your skills right away. Or they'll know what to expect from you in the arena."

"Okay," I said.

"Fine," Ethan agreed. "But, what about alliances?"

"That's for me to think about," Haymitch said.

"Of course it is." I muttered. "Nothing with that has to do with our lives is our own, is it? Not in this world."

Haymitch made a face. "Anyway, don't show the others your skills and don't cause any trouble."

"Why would we cause trouble?" I asked sarcastically. "It's not like we want to make enemies before the games even start."

I felt like trying to get under Haymitch's skin. I wouldn't be surprised if he was too busy drinking to find a sponsorships. If I'm going to win, it's not going be because of Haymitch.

Ethan and I walked inside the training center side-by-side. I looked around. There was survival stuff, weapons training, a gym, ropes courses, and climbing walls.

I glanced at Ethan. "See you later."

He only nodded in response and walked away, towards survival things. I slowly headed to the ropes course. When I got there, only one other girl was up there. She was pretty high up. Within minutes, I'd reached her. She turned slightly when I reached the part she was on.

"You're the girl from 12, right?" She asked. I nodded. "I'm Mal. District 6."

"I'm Lily," I replied.

Mal had shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. She looked only a little older than me.

"Is it just me, or are you avoiding your district partner?" Mal said.

I glanced back at the floor below me. I could see Ethan trying to make a fire. "He doesn't want to make friends. It'll just be harder in the arena."

"Smart boy. But I think it does help to have someone watch your back."

"Except there would always be a chance that they'd stab you in the back." With that, I let go of the rope and my harness carried me back down.

By the end of the day, I'd learned some survival skills, knife throwing, and I'd improved my aim with a crossbow. I now sat on the edge of the balcony, waiting for dinner. The only other tribute I'd talked to was Mal. She seemed okay and she wasn't a career. I wanted nothing to do with the careers.

"Lily, come to dinner," Effie called.

I stood up and walked into the dining room.

"So, how was the first day of training?" Haymitch asked.

"Fine," I replied blankly. Ethan said nothing.

"Well, the evaluations are four days from now. Following that is the interviews and the start of the games. For the evaluations, you'll be showing the Gamemakers your best talents and what you've learned over the last few days. They will evaluate you on a scale of 1-to-10."

"That'll be fun," I muttered.

"Lillian, this is the Hunger Games. Nothing is supposed to be fun."

I glared at him. "Yeah, but it doesn't help to be all depressed. If we want to survive, we can't concentrate on the fact that we're probably about to die. If we want to win, we have to keep our heads and focus on training. Yes, this is the Hunger Games, but acting like you're about to be burned at the stake doesn't help. Maybe that's what you should be telling us, Haymitch."

With that, I walked out of the room.

I went to my room and slammed the door behind me. I stared out the window and messed with my locket. It will be my token. I miss Peeta back home, but I don't miss the rest of my family. The only reason they'd be happy if I come home, would be because I would bring riches home. If I go home and get a house in the Victor's Village, I won't bring them. If I survive the Hunger Games, I'm not dealing with them anymore. They can go to hell for all I care. They don't love me. They love the girl that they want me to be. And I'll never really be her. Only Peeta accepts me for me. I will go back for him.

Day Two of training was almost the same. I mostly worked on archery. I wanted to try something new. I'm good with a crossbow, but a regular bow is not my strong suit. Ethan still refuses to say more than two words a day to me. I really don't care that much, but I mean, rude. I wonder if he'll be quick to kill me in the arena or if he'd let me go because we're from the same district… He's made it clear that he doesn't want friends, so maybe he'd kill me like strangers. I guess I won't matter. This is the hunger games. We're supposed to kill each other. That's the whole point.

Four days later, it was evaluation day. I sat in a chair at the back row and Ethan did sit next to me, but he didn't say one word. Being the tributes from District 12 meant we went last. When Ethan was called, he got up and muttered a "Good luck."

"You too," I replied quietly.

Ethan disappeared through the door, leaving me alone. Maybe ten minutes later, my name was called. I took a deep breath and walked into the room. Through a window that was higher up, I could see the Gamemakers. Most were eating from the table of extravagant food that was behind them. Honestly, do they really need food all the time?

"Lillian Mellark," I said. "District 12."

Seneca Crane looked down at me from the skybox. "Go on," was all he said.

I glanced around at all the things around me. Practice dummies, tables of weapons, ropes, targets. Anything you could want to demonstrate. I walked over to one of the tables and selected a dagger that was as long as a sword and was curved at the end. I'd been working on that weapon for the past two days and I was pretty good with it. I went over to a practice dummy and attacked it. By the time I was done, and practice dummy was far beyond repair. I put the long dagger down and went over to the table that held bows. I selected a black crossbow and turned to the targets. I aimed and took a deep breath. One of the most important things in shooting is being calm. If you're hyper or scared then your hand will shake and you'll miss your target. I took another breath a pulled the trigger on the crossbow. It flew straight and hit the bullseye perfectly. I gave a small smile. I show thing several survival things that I'd learned and when I was done, they dismissed me.

Later that night, I sat in the living room of the penthouse with Ethan, Tigris, Florian, Effie, and Haymitch to watch the scores. The anthem came on the TV and Caesar Flickerman announced the scores.

"Welcome everyone to the score announcements," Caesar said. "The scores will be on a scale of one-to-twelve, because of the Twelve Districts. Let's get started. From District 1, we have Tatia with a score of… 9 and Alec with a score of… 10. From District 2, we have Colleen with a score of…8 and Xavier with a score of… 9. From District 3, we have Evelyn with a score of… 7 and Austin with a score of… 6. From District 4, we have Zarah with a score of… 10 and Grover with a score of…. 10. From District 5, we have Piper with a score of… 6 and Theo with a score of… 7. From District 6, we have Malerie with a score of…. 8 and Cole with a score of… 6…" I stopped listening after that until he got to 12. "And finally, from District 12, we have Lillian with a score of… 10 and Ethan with a score of… 10."

"That's great!" Effie cried.

Haymitch nodded with approval.

"Well, done," Tigris said.

"Good job," Florian agreed.

Five days later, it was the day of interviews. Ethan and I had been working with Haymitch and Effie on how to handle ourselves for the last few days. My dress was white and gold with a very long train and my hair was left long. I waited backstage for my name to be called. Ethan stood a few feet away from me. He said nothing.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to say something to me once in a while," I snapped.

Ethan studied me. "You look pretty."

I was slightly surprised. "Thanks."

Ethan's name was called and he walked out onto the stage. I watched from back stage. Ethan wasn't great at this. He was a little too quiet to the Capital's taste, but he didn't say anything bad. Caesar shook Ethan's hand and sent him off stage.

"At last but not least, please give a warm Capital welcome for Lily!" Caesar said.

I walked out onto the stage and gave the audience a little wave. Caesar shook my hand and we sat down.

"So, Lily, how are you tonight?" Caesar asked.

"I'm pretty good, Caesar. How are you?" I replied.

"Well, I'm still a little in shock of that 10 you got!" The audience applauded. I smiled. "Now, do you have a strategy for the games?"

I gave a coy smile. "Now, why would I tell you that? I can't let the other tributes know that. They're listening, you know." The audience laughed and applauded.

"Smart girl. Now, what would you say is your favorite part of the Capital?"

"Hmm… Probably the view from the roof of the penthouse."

"Oh, the one that overlooks the city?" I nodded. "Oh, it is beautiful. Now, Lily, do you have someone waiting for you back home? You're a pretty girl. Is there a boy for you back home?"

I laughed. "Sorry, Caesar, the only person waiting for me back home is my little brother." The audience awed.

"You have a family back home to fight for?"

"Well, I, um, I do have a family back home, but my youngest brother is the one I'm fighting for."

"Please, elaborate."

"Well, I don't have the best relationship with my parents. They're… Distant, controlling. Can I be honest with you Caesar?"

"Of course."

"My parents want me to be somebody I don't want to be, but if I make it out of this thing alive, I'm done pretending. My brother is the only one who lets me be me, so I'm going back for him. But I'm done playing my parent's "perfect daughter". If I can survive the Hunger Games, I can stand up to my parents. And if I die in that arena… Well, at least I'm free."

Caesar was tearing up and he put his hand over his heart. "That's beautiful. Let's give this brave young girl a round of applause!" The audience stood and applauded.

Caesar stood and so did I. "Lily, unfortunately, that's all the time we have, but thank you for sharing your story with us," Caesar said. "Good luck."

"Thank you," I said.

Caesar shook my hand and I walked off the stage. I met Effie, Ethan, and Haymitch backstage.

Effie gave me a hug. "That was beautiful, darling."

"Where did you come up with that?" Haymitch said.

I shrugged. "I just said what I've been feeling. I guess they liked it."

We went back up to the penthouse for dinner. I didn't say much that night, neither did Ethan. Well, Ethan never says much. Effie, Haymitch, Tigris, and Florian just talked about the interviews.

"So, the start of the games is tomorrow. Any last advice for us, Haymitch?" I asked.

"Remember your training," Haymitch said. "More than likely, they'll have whatever weapon you prefer at the Cornucopia, but do not go for it. It'll be farther in and it's the bloodbath. They're trying to draw you in. Grab whatever supplies are near you and run for the woods. Water is the thing you will need most, so find water as soon as possible."

"What if there's only one water source? The Careers will take it over."

"Well, then you'll need to find a way to get there, get water and leave before they catch you."

"Easier said than done," I muttered.

After dinner, Haymitch told us to go to bed. This might be the last good sleep that we get for a while. I ran into Ethan in the hall on the way to my room.

I raised in mock surrender. "I know, I know. You don't want to talk." I turned to go.

"Wait," Ethan said.

I turned back, slightly surprised. "Yes?"

Ethan held out his hand. I took it and we shook hands.

"Good luck tomorrow. I hope you don't die for a while," Ethan told me.

I nodded. "Thanks. You too."

With that, Ethan turned and walked away to his room.

"I will never understand that boy," I muttered.

I walked to my room and sat down on the bed. This is it- The day before it starts. I messed with my locket and stared out the window. I knew I should go straight to sleep, but I decided to go up to the roof first. It was calming and quiet. I snuck out of my room and went up to the roof.

I leaned against the ledge and looked out over the city. I wonder if I'll ever see this city again.

"Needed some quiet?" said a familiar voice behind me.

I turned. Finnick stood behind me. "Oh, it's you," I replied.

Finnick walked forward and stood next to me. "How are you doing?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be asking the kids from your district that?"

"I did. But you're much easier to talk to."

"Really? You don't like your tributes?"

"Frankly, they're cocky little assholes."

I laughed. "They're Careers. What do you expect?"

"That's probably fair of you to say."

"Are you saying you were like that when you were a tribute?"

Finnick scowled. "No, I am not saying that."

"Hmm. I remember watching your games. Out of all the careers, you were probably the least horrible."

"Oh, thanks… I think." I laughed. "You should go to sleep. It might be the last time you can get a full night's sleep, believe me."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. Assuming, that I'll be able to go to sleep."

"Yeah, that's the hard part."

"I should go," I said.

Finnick nodded. "Good luck, tomorrow."

"Thanks."

I went back to my room and put on my pajamas. I lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Okay, you know you need to go to sleep, self," I said.

I stayed awake for almost twenty more minutes.

"Ugh, you're not doing yourself any good by staying awake."

I rolled unto my side and stared out the window. The never-ending lights of the city twinkled in front of me. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

I met with Tigris the next morning. She gives me a simple dress to wear and takes me to the roof. A hovercraft comes and I step onto the ladder. A current holds me in place while the ladder pulls me up into the hovercraft. I was held in place while a woman in a lab coat injects the tracker into my arm. The ladder releases me and Tigris is retrieved from the roof. An Avox girl leads us to a room where breakfast has been laid out. I did eat a little bit more than a usually would. For some reason, I'm less nervous and more curious. Curious how far I'll make it…. Curious who'll be the most vicious…. Curious if I'll survive. I meant what I said during the interview. Dying in the arena is better than going home and pretending to be someone I'm not.

The hovercraft lands and we're in an underground tube. We go to a chamber for my preparation. Here, they call it the Launch Room. In the districts, they call it the Stockyard. The place animals go before slaughter. Everything is always new before each Hunger Games. I'm the only tribute that will ever see it. Capitol citizens like to vacation here. I have no idea why, but they say the food is excellent.

I shower and clean my teeth. Tigris French braids my hair down my back and then the clothes arrive. It's always the same for each tribute. The stylists have no say in the outfit. They have no better idea what it will be than I do. Tigris helps me dress in the undergarments, very lightweight black shorts, an army green tunic tank top, black belt, and very, very thin dark red jacket. The lightweight socks go are worn with soft leather ankle boots are very sturdy and built for running.

"It's all very lightweight clothing. Except very hot days," Tigris said.

I nodded and messed with my locket.

"How did you get that past the screening? I've never seen you without it," Tigris asked.

I looked up. "I managed to grab it before the prep team took away my old clothes. It doesn't have any secret weapons. It's my token."

Tigris just nodded. "Okay, you're ready. Move around a bit and make sure everything feels comfortable."

I let my arms swing around and walked around a bit. "It fits perfectly."

"Then there's nothing left to do, but wait for the call. Can you eat anymore?"

I did eat a small bowl of rice with some kind of stew over it and drink several glasses of water. If it's hot in the arena, I could use that extra water.

"You're not as nervous as I'd expect you to be," Tigris commented.

I looked at her. "I'm…. Not really that nervous, I'm just….Curious as to what will happen. I could survive this whole thing, or I could be dead in an hour. I just want which one it'll be."

"I've never seen a tribute as unafraid to die as you seem."

I kind of shrugged. "Everyone had to die at some point. It's not that I want to die, it's more like…. I mean, the Hunger Games is about people dying, right? So, either I'll make it or not. There's no use in crying and shaking over it. If I'm gonna beat this, I need to focus."

Tigris studied me. "I think that way of looking at this gives you an advantage. Half the tributes will be running scared and the other half are vicious killers. But you're making an effort to keep your head and think about this. I think you have as fair a shot as any, if not a bit better."

"Thank you."

The voice announces it's time to prepare for launch. Tigris holds my hand as we walk to the metal plate. I let go of her hand and stepped on, facing her.

"Remember what you've learned. I think you'll do better than you think," Tigris said. "Good luck, Lily."

"Thank you," I replied.

The glass cylinder lowers around me and I begin to move up. I hold my head high and wait for the darkness to end. The metal plate pushes me out of the cylinder and into the open air. The first thing I feel is wind and heat. It had to be at least eighty degrees, but very, very windy. The sun blinds me for a moment, but then I can see the other tribute on metal plates around me. I see Ethan several feet away, staring intently at the Cornucopia. The Cornucopia is filled with thousands of different survival things. Weapons, food, clothes, blankets, tent, etc. I swear I can smell salt water. We must be near the ocean. That can be good or bad. I hear the announcer, Claudius Templesmith, as his voice booms all around me. "Ladies and Gentleman, let the Seventieth Hunger Games begin!"

It's starting. The clock starts counting down from sixty. If we step off before the timer ends, the explosives go off. Fifty…. I have forty more second to go. I glanced around me and saw the ocean in the distance. Twenty…. Nineteen…. Eighteen… _How is it almost there already?_ Ten…. Nine….. Eight….. _Okay, Lily, get ready to run._ I see some things close enough for me to get, but there are also more tribute that would go for it. Five…. Four…. Three… _It's time._ I think. Two…. One…

Alright guys, we have a cliffhanger ending here. I'm sorry for giving a cliffhanger after not updating for so long, but I couldn't help myself. I'm trying to get back to updating this story more often, so I'll try to have Chapter 4 up soon. Bye guys, - Lily


	4. Chapter 4

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 4

Hey guys! So, this is Chapter 4. I know it took me a long time to get this chapter out, but I hope it's a good chapter at least. By the way, you guys may have noticed that I changed my username. Well, I just didn't really like my old username anymore and so I changed it. I thought I would say something about that before we get started with the chapter. Anyway, let's get this chapter started already.

Lily's POV:

Immediately when the buzzer went off, most of the tributes ran into the Cornucopia. The Careers already started killing. I stepped off the metal circle, but didn't run for a minute. I couldn't see Ethan anymore. I didn't know where he was, I didn't even know if he was still alive. I saw a messenger bag about ten feet away from me. I ran toward it and grabbed it before the other girl running towards it could. I kept my distance from the Cornucopia, but I noticed a jug of water nearby and ran for it. Another boy almost ran into me, but I twisted out of the way and he tripped and went flying. I grabbed the water and bolted for the woods. A dart flew past my head and embedded itself in a nearby tree. I looked back and saw a boy holding a dart gun. I saw him reload and ran faster straight into the woods.

I clutched my stuff close as I ran. It was eighty degrees now, but it wouldn't stay that way. Tigris said it would get hotter, so I decided to find somewhere with some shade. I stopped running and leaned against a tree to catch my breath. There were cannons going off everywhere. The Bloodbath certainly hasn't ended. I looked around. I was in a small clearing. The woods weren't dense at all. Open woods were good for running, but bad for concealment. I could still see the ocean in the distance. I decided to make my way to the ocean. I took a breath and started walking, careful not to make much noise.

By sunset, I was getting close to the beach. I leaned against a tree at the edge of the sand. I sat down and decided to look through my bag. It contained a small relatively thin blanket, a box of matches, some iodine, a hunting knife, and a few bags of dried cherries.

"Okay, this will work for the time being, but I'm going to need more water and food eventually," I said quietly to myself.

As the sun went down, the anthem started and I looked up to watch the fallen. Both from nine, the boy from five, the girl from seven, the boy from ten, and both from eight.

"That's seven," I whispered.

The night was only slightly cooler than the day. It had gone down to seventy now. I didn't need my blanket, so I packed up my messenger bag and held it close to me as I lay down at the edge of the sand.

I woke with the sunrise and thankfully, no one had found me in the night. I sat up and looked around. At first, I saw nothing, but then I saw a small group of people at the edge of the beach. They were far away and they didn't see me. I jumped up and hid behind the tree that I was leaning against. I recognized the boy with the dart gun and there was a girl holding a backpack and another boy holding a set of knifes. I opened my bag and took out my hunting knife. I knew there were too many of them. They started to turn my way and I hid back behind the tree again. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them now.

"Look, we need to move faster!" One of the boys snapped.

"If the Careers find us, we're as good as dead!" The girl retorted.

"You don't think we know that, Evelyn?" the other boy demanded.

Oh, so the girl is Evelyn from three. This wasn't the Career group, but that doesn't make this any less bad. I could hear them getting closer. I turned and ran into the woods.

"There!" Evelyn yelled.

"Damn it," I muttered.

I could hear them behind me. I ran faster and zig-zagged around, taking turn after turn, trying to lose them. Several darts flew past my head and hit trees.

"You're really bad at aiming that thing, Cole!" the other boy yelled.

"Shut it!" Cole yelled back."It's not like you have anything to throw at her, Toby!"

"Just run faster!" Evelyn interrupted.

I heard them speed up behind me. I saw a low-hanging branch and jumped, swinging up onto the branch. The group ran right past me, and when they looked back, I was hiding in the thick leaves.

"Where is she?" Cole asked.

"She can't have just disappeared," Evelyn stated.

I stayed completely still. Eventually, they took off running in the direction they guessed I went. I climbed out onto the large branch and looked around. There was no one else around, but all the yelling would have attracted other people. I jumped down from the branch and ran back towards the beach. It seemed safer than wondering around the woods. I walked to the opposite end of the beach from where I was.

"Okay, already almost died once…. About twelve-hundred more times to go," I muttered.

I ate a handful of dried cherries and ended up taking off my jacket. It was probably ninety degrees now and around noon. I heard a branch snap behind me and whirled around. Cole from 6 stood there, still holding his bunch of knives. I got a grip on my backpack and prepared to run.

"Hold on," Cole said. "I wanna make an alliance."

I eyed him suspiciously. "You already have an alliance."

"Yeah, but you saw them. They were idiots. I want you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

I stood up. I then noticed the crazy look in Cole's eyes. I started to back up, getting ready to run.

"You shouldn't have said no to me, Lily," Cole warned.

He raised his knife and stabbed down at me. I didn't have time to run and he would've stabbed me if the arrow hadn't gone through his head. He fell to the ground, dead. I saw Mal from 6 standing behind him, holding a bow and arrow. I grabbed my bag and turned to run.

"Wait!" Mal said.

I slowly turned back to her. "What?"

"I remember you from training. Allies?"

I eyed her. I did remember her as well. She seemed like an okay person.

"Sure," I finally agreed.

"Okay. Let's go," Mal said.

I followed her back into the woods.

We kind of walked around, trying to avoid people for a while.

"He was your district partner, right? Cole," I asked.

Mal nodded. "Yeah. He's completely nuts. Did you see his eyes? I wouldn't be surprised if he went cannibal. It was a blessing to the world to kill him."

"Oh, I forgot to thank you for saving me back there. He was too close for me to run in time to dodge his knife."

Mal smiled. "It was nothing. Don't mention it."

We walked a little while longer, searching for a viable water source, like a pond or lake.

"There has to be some water source in this arena," I said.

"Yeah and the Careers probably have it," Mal agreed.

"Would it kill the Gamemakers to put in two water sources?"

"Probably would. They wouldn't get as many Tributes killing each other for the water."

"So, just like all the other Tributes through the years, we have to come up with a plan to get water from the Careers."

"Yep. Got any ideas for a plan?"

"I don't know yet. But we'll think of something."

Alright guys, that's it for Chapter 4. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you thought. I'll try to get Chapter 6 out faster this time. Bye guys, - Lily


	5. Chapter 5

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 5

I ONLY OWN MY OCS AND NOTHING ELSE FROM THE HUNGER GAMES

Hey guys! So, this is Chapter 5. I wanted to try to start getting chapters out faster for this story, so that's what I'm doing.

EAH HG GEEK: Thank you! Yes, your story did get very sad. Yes, Lily will survive. I don't even mind saying that, because I'm going to be making a story for each of The Hunger Games with Lily in it and I was never even thinking about killing her off. You mean you thought of a better way to kill Eve in your story? I'm not entirely sure what you meant. I noticed that in your story, the District 11 tributes were named Lily and Ethan. I thought that was funny because that's what Lily and her district partner's names are in my story. Did you do that on purpose or was that a funny accident? Tell me in the reviews or PM me.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, so I'll shut up and let's get started.

Lily's POV:

Mal and I got to the top of a small hill and climbed a huge tree at the top of it. The view was amazing and we could see if people were coming. I sat on my branch and hung my bag on a smaller branch. It was sunset and the fallen would be shown in the sky soon.

"So, what's your life like back home?" Mal asked.

"Hmm? It's…. Okay," I replied.

"That doesn't sound good. Care to elaborate?"

"Well, my relationship with my parents leaves a lot to be desired. They only see me as a possible ticket to the Capital if I can get a job there one day and so they want to be this perfect daughter all the time. I'm not who they want me to be."

"Oh, yeah. I saw your interview. That sucks. So you have siblings, right?"

"Yeah. I have three younger brothers. Vincent, Will, and Peeta. I get along okay with Vincent and Will, but they kind of follow what my parents say. I love Peeta though. He's the youngest. He's the only one that actually cared enough to say goodbye when I got chosen. He's the one that I'm trying to get back for. Enough about me. What about you?"

"Mm. My home life isn't nearly as interesting as yours. My parents both died when I was seven. My little sister and I lived with our grandma after that. But… Last year… My little sister got into an accident with a bunch of kids from her school. She didn't make it."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. I'm seventeen. I was so close to getting out of this thing. I guess the universe just hates me."

"Well, you might make it out of here."

"I guess it's possible, but I doubt it. Look, it's night. Let's watch the fallen."

I turned from looking at her and looked at the sky. The Anthem played and the pictures of the fallen appeared in the sky. The boy from seven, the girl from five, Cole from six, and the girl from ten.

"Four," I said.

"Thirteen left," Mal said. "You get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm older, I should take first watch."

"Okay."

I leaned back with my back up against the tree. It wasn't cold at all tonight, but it was cool enough that I kept my thin jacket on. Within minutes, I was fast asleep.

I woke to Mal shaking me awake. "Come on, we got to run. They're coming!"

We jumped down from the tree and bolted. I could hear the Careers running footsteps behind us.

"Get them!" a male voice yelled.

Mal and I zigg-zagged through the woods, trying to lose the Careers, but they were gaining on us. I saw Mal ready her bow and arrow.

"There!" Mal said, pointing behind a large rock.

We hid behind the large rock and looked over it at the Careers that were running towards us. Mal aimed her arrow, pulled it back and fired. Her arrow went right through Grover from District Four's neck and he fell dead, immediately.

"Grover!" Zarah, his district partner yelled. "They killed him."

"So what? Grover was weak," Alec from One snapped. "We're better off without him."

"Grover was my friend," Zarah growled.

"You can't have friends anymore," Colleen from Two argued.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't have," Zarah snapped.

"We're wasting time! Stop arguing so we can kill them," Tatia from One stepped in.

"She's right. Let's kill them," Alec said.

They started coming toward the rock we were hiding behind. Mal readied her bow again and pulled it back, trying to figure out which one to shoot first. Finally, they were getting to close and Mal pulled back her bow and let the arrow fly. It went straight through Xavier from Two's head and he fell to the ground dead. There were only four left now.

"Distract them," I whispered to Mal.

She gave a small nod. I jumped up and flipped up onto a tree branch and began to climb. They couldn't see me through the thick branches. I shook branches in different directions away from me to make them think I was climbing away.

"Where the hell did she go?" Alec demanded.

"Looks like you're all alone, Mal," Colleen taunted.

I got into the branch right above them. I had to be careful. If they looked up and saw me, I'd be dead. I got a good grip on my hunting knife and jumped down. The second my feet hit the ground, I grabbed Colleen's hair and pulled her head back, slitting her throat. A sickening gurgling noise came from her throat. I pushed her body into Alec and Tatia, giving me barely enough time to run back to Mal.

"Run!" I screamed.

She stood, but then turned back to Tatia and Alec, pulling back her arrow one more time. She fired, but was slightly off because Alec and Tatia were already running toward us. Her arrow went right through Alec's upper leg. He yelled in pain and crumpled to the ground, slowing them down a lot.

"Go!" Mal said.

We ran for dear life. Hoping they wouldn't catch us again.

Alright, so I'm just going to end this chapter here. Hopefully, it's not too short. Okay, so I have a problem. As I said in my last chapter, I changed my username, but I don't know if I want my FanFiction username to be the same name as the character in this story as the first name of my username is Lily and so is the character in this story. And also, now it matches my FictionPress username, but I don't know if I want it to match anymore. So, I kind of want to change it back to something with Esme in it again. I think if I change it again, I'll just have it be Esme Montgomery and leave it at that. So I want to know what you guys think. Tell me in the reviews, because I can't make up my mind. I'll shut up now. Oh wait! I do have some other news. I am going to be publishing an Ever After High story! I'm kind of obsessed with Ever After High right now, so I thought I'd write a story for it. I'm going to try to get the first chapter published by next week, so stay tuned. Okay, I'm done rambling now. Bye guys, - Lily


	6. Chapter 6

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 6

Hey guys! I know, I know. I'm sorry, I've taken so long to get another chapter out. Please don't yell at me. I know. I'm sorry. I've been working on a lot of new stuff that will come out in the near future. Stay tuned. Anyway, let's just get on with the chapter.

Lily's POV:

Mal and I ran until we literally collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

"If they're still chasing us, let them come. I can't run anymore," Mal grumbled.

"Agreed," I said.

They weren't chasing us anymore. We'd finally lost them.

"Nice trick you pulled back there, with Colleen. You probably saved us," Mal commented.

"I just knew I had to do something," I replied.

We'd ended up in a clearing in the middle of the forest. We could see the sky clearly from where we were laying in the grass. The clearing was probably twenty feet across.

"I can't move," Mal said.

"Me neither," I replied.

"Let's just watch the fallen and not move then."

"Sounds good."

The anthem started and the faces of the fallen flashed across the sky. Both from two, Grover from four, both from eleven. The light in the sky faded and all was dark.

"Just eight of us left," Mal said. "The numbers getting down there now."

"Yeah. One of us will get to go home soon," I said.

"Yeah. Get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

"No. You took first watch last night."

"It's really okay. I like protecting you. You remind me of my little sister."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Get some sleep."

I frowned at her, but shrugged and turned over, falling asleep almost immediately.

I woke up to Mal shaking my shoulder.

"Wake up. We should get going," Mal said. I sat up and grabbed my backpack, standing. "Okay."

Mal and I walked for most of the morning, looking for the Careers camp. We needed to get water now, or this wasn't going to work out well.

After an entire morning of walking around and not finding it, Mal and I sat down on a rock to take a break.

"We've been looking all morning. Where the hell is the stupid camp?" Mal said.

"I have no idea. How big is this arena?" I said.

"Maybe they don't have a real camp. Maybe they're just carrying all their stuff with them," Mal said.

"No. Remember yesterday? They weren't carrying anything other than weapons. They have to have a camp somewhere and-"

Then I figured it out and slapped my forehead. "God, we're idiots!"

"What?" Mal asked.

"The Careers always hoard all the good supplies, right? And where do all the good supplies come from? Why would they move it if they don't have to? It's the Cornucopia."

"Ha, you're a genius. How did we not think of that before?"

"I blame heat exhaustion."

"That works. Come on. Let's go to the Cornucopia."

That's exactly where we went. Mal and I hid in the bushes, watching the Cornucopia. Zarah and, surprisingly, Ethan were guarding the thing. So, Ethan joined them. Doesn't want allies, my ass.

"Oh, that little traitor," I muttered.

"What's wrong?" Mal asked.

"The boy, Ethan, he's my district partner," I grumbled.

"What's he doing with them?" Mal said.

"I have no idea, but it doesn't matter. What's the plan?"

The plan was for Mal to fire an arrow into the bushes across the field as a distraction. Then, we would just have to run and grab as much as we can before they get back to kill us. They—No, Zarah might be a good fighter, but neither of them have a long-range weapon and Mal does. I like our odds.

Mal fired her arrow into the far bushes. As planned, both Zarah and Ethan ran off into the woods to see what that was. They didn't even see the arrow being fired. I mean, that's what we were hoping for, but still. Mal and I bolted from the bushes and toward the Cornucopia. Thankfully, there were a few jugs of water at the very entrance of the Cornucopia. But we barely had enough time to grab them, because Zarah and Ethan caught on fast and they were running back to the Cornucopia. I grabbed whatever was closest, which was only a jug of water and a set of throwing knives. I'm not the best shot, but it couldn't hurt to have another weapon. "Come on, go!" Mal said. I grabbed the stuff and started to run. Only when I got several feet away, did I notice that Mal wasn't next to me. I whirled around in time to see Zarah stab Mal through the stomach.

"That's for Grover," Zarah hissed.

"No!" I screamed.

Mal collapsed on the ground, blood soaking her shirt. I couldn't see her face, but I could see the blood starting to spread to the back of her shirt. Zarah looked at me and started to run towards me, but Ethan grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"She's not worth it. Come on. Let's go find Alec and Tatia," Ethan said.

Zarah glared at me with a murderous expression on her face, but she turned and followed Ethan back into the woods.

As soon as they were gone, I ran to Mal and dropped down next to her, turning her over to that I could see her face. Her eyes fluttered opened and she looked up at me.

"Mal," I said.

"Go. Go, please. They'll kill you," Mal said. Her breathing was labored and ragged.

"No, no. I'm not leaving you," I said as tears started to fill my eyes.

"Please go. I don't want you to see me die," Mal coughed, struggling to breath. Her eyes were starting to close.

"Mal, no! Please don't leave me," I sobbed.

"Listen, I need you to win, okay? Someone good needs to win for once. Go back to your little brother."

"No, no. Don't leave me!"

"It's okay. Nobody needs me now. Win for your little brother, okay? Good luck, Lily." Her eyes closed.

"No! No, Mal please don't leave me. Don't go, please!" I broke down in tears as Mal's cannon boomed.

I stayed there crying for a long time. When I looked up again, I could see the sun setting over the beach in the distance. I looked down at Mal's body one more time and gently closed her eyes. I know I need to go. I need to do this alone. Maybe it's better like this. This way, it won't ever come down to just Mal and me. Finally, I stood up, shoved the throwing knives and jug of water in my bag and looked around the woods. The Careers weren't back yet. I don't know where they are, but as long as they're not killing me, I'm happy. Well, not exactly happy, but safe, I guess. I gave Mal one more look and started walking off towards the woods.

After spending half the evening walking around aimlessly, I ended up in the clearing that Mal and I camped in last night. I guess this is as good a place as any to camp again. It was dusk now. A dusty purple light was all that was left. I set my stuff down in the grass and drank some much-needed water. I was so lost in thought; I didn't even notice the other person enter the clearing.

"Hey."

I was on my feet with three throwing knives in my hand in a second. But I didn't expect it to be who it was. Ethan.

"What the hell do you want?" I said, holding the knives threateningly.

"Don't shoot. I-I-I come in peace."

"Why should I believe that? Your little friend killed Mal. You might have helped her for all I know!"

"All I did, was stop her from killing you too. You're welcome, by the way."

"I didn't want your help."

"But you needed it. I saw the look on your face. You weren't in any state-of-mind to fight."

"Alright, just tell me why you're here."

"I want to make an alliance."

"Fat chance. You're probably just here to kill me for your career buddies."

"No, I'm serious. They're angry that I stopped Zarah from killing you. They were gonna kill me. I ran. I know you don't trust me, but, look, I'm not armed. You can kill me if you want, but I'm telling the truth."

I stared at him. I could kill him and get it over with, but…. Something in his face told me he was being genuine. Slowly, I lowered my knives.

"Fine. Allies."

"Thank you."

I sat back down in the grass, and Ethan joined me, staying a couple of feet away.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked.

"What do you mean?"

"That girl that Zarah killed. She was your friend, wasn't she?" I pursed my lips.

"So now you want to talk to me? You've changed your tune since training."

"I know I was an ass to you and I'm sorry. I thought if I didn't make friends or anything, it would be easier to kill people. But I was wrong. I haven't made one kill yet. I don't even know why the Careers kept me around this long."

"Right. Well, we're getting down to the last few people. The Gamemakers will try to get us all together for the final battle soon. I wonder how this will all turn out."

"With both of us dead, most likely."

"Okay, Mr. Optimist."

We stopped talking when the anthem started. There was only one death today. Mal's. The light from the sky disappeared and we were left in darkness.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Ethan said.

"Yeah. Thanks. You sleep. I'll take first watch."

"Why? Because you don't trust me?"

"Pretty much."

"Fair enough."

Ethan turned over and went to sleep. I didn't trust him enough to wake him up so I could sleep. It doesn't really matter anyway. There's no point in sleeping if we all might be dead tomorrow. I just watch the stars and try not to think about Mal. I want to survive this for her now, as well as Peeta. And if I get the chance, I'm going to kill Zarah. She deserves it. When the sun started to peak of the horizon, a voice boomed through the arena.

"All Tributes, please report to the Cornucopia tonight for the final battle."

Great. Might as well stay here until then. I reached over and shook Ethan's shoulder until he woke up, which he did after a couple of minutes.

"What?" Ethan said.

"Final battle tonight at the Cornucopia," I replied.

"Oh, wonderful."

Two cannons boomed and a scream echoed through the clearing. Running footsteps could be heard in the woods, headed our way.

"Careers. Let's go!" Ethan said.

I grabbed my bag, which held all of our stuff while Ethan grabbed the hunting knife and we bolted into the woods.

As we entered another clearing and stopped to see if they were still following us, the three Careers stepped out of the woods, facing us and smirking.

"Well, well, well," Alec said. "If it isn't the girl who killed Colleen. Where's your little friend? Oh, right. Zarah ran her through." I grit my teeth but didn't respond.

"Oh, Ethan, what are you doing with her? Damn. I was hoping to keep you around. You're cute. It's too bad we have to kill you," Tatia simpered.

"The final battle isn't till tonight," Ethan snapped.

"Why wait? We can finish this now. I'll be the Victor, and claim my riches," Alec gloated.

"Who said you were going to be the Victor?" Tatia asked.

"Shut up. Let's get them," Zarah said. "I already killed the other one. I want a shot at this one."

Ethan grabbed my arm and we started to run again. We managed to lose them, but they'd find us again. Ethan pulled me behind a tree.

"What are you doing? We need to go," I said.

"No. I need to go. I'm gonna run and lead them away, then you're going to run in the opposite direction," Ethan said.

"What? No. They'll kill you."

"I know. I'd rather die protecting you now, then risk having to kill you tonight."

"What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, Ethan pulled me into a deep kiss. After a moment of surprise, I kissed him back. Then Ethan pulled away. I looked into his dark brown eyes in confusion. I didn't get the chance to ask him anything before Ethan ran into the woods. I heard the Careers yelling to get him and I knew Ethan's plan had succeeded. I lined against the tree, unable to sort through all the emotions I was feeling. There is one sentence that basically sums up all my thoughts-What the hell?

Finally, the sun was starting to go down and I knew that it was time to go to the Cornucopia. I reached it by the time the sun was down. Zarah and Alec were already there, leaning against it. I held my throwing knives tightly and approached them, not getting too close. When they saw me, they stood up straight and readied their weapons.

"Where's Tatia?" I asked, casually.

"Dead. Your friend Ethan killed her earlier…. Right before I ran him through," Alec said.

"Oh, really? That's good. She was annoying," I commented.

"You shut your mouth!" Alec growled, gripping his machete.

His weapon was bigger, but mine was long-range and that gave me an advantage. I gripped one of the knives in my left hand and got ready to throw it.

"Ha. You'll miss eight times before I kill you," Alec said.

"We'll see about that," I replied.

I threw my blade and it lodged itself through Alec's throat. He made a choking noise and fell to the ground dead. I looked at Zarah, who was smiling. I dropped my knives and grabbed Alec's machete. I didn't want to kill her from a distance. I wanted to be face-to-face when I killed her. This was for Mal.

"I was waiting for you to kill him. I was so hoping it would come down to you and me," Zarah said, walking forward to meet me in the middle of the field. She was armed with a machete as well.

"Me too. I need to avenge Mal's death, even if I die trying," I said.

"She had it coming. She killed Grover."

"Oh, really? Were you in love with him, or something?"

Zarah slashed at me with her machete. I blocked and counter-attacked. Zarah was skilled and we kept fighting for a long time. Zarah managed a well-aimed slash at my side. It wasn't deep enough to kill me, but it hurt like hell. Zarah kicked me and I landed on my back, dropping the machete. Zarah sat on my stomach and raised her blade above her head, ready to kill me.

"Ha, ha. You put up a good fight, kid. But you could never beat me. Maybe I'll crave that heart out and keep it as a trophy. Looks like you won't be seeing that brother of yours after all," Zarah said.

That comment about Peeta made me angry. Just before she was going to kill me, I grabbed one of my fallen throwing knives and stabbed it clean through her throat. The look on Zarah's face as she died was priceless. She rolled off me and I sat up and looked at her.

"You can burn in hell with Grover," I said.

It took a minute for my brain to register what just happened. I did it. I won. How did that happen? Then the voice boomed through the arena.

"Ladies and Gentleman, we have our winner. The Victor of the Seventieth Hunger Games, Lillian Mellark!"

Okay, guys, that's it. Lily won! Yay! There will be a couple of more chapters of this story and then there will be a sequel set in the first Hunger Games book that comes after those chapters. Please review this chapter and tell me what you thought. Bye guys, - Lily


	7. Chapter 7

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 7

Hey guys! So, if this is Chapter Seven. I'm hoping to get this out fairly soon for you guys. We'll see if I do. Let's start the chapter.

Lily's POV:

I can't believe this. I actually won. I held a hand to the bleeding gash in my side as the hovercraft appeared overhead and a ladder dropped down. I struggled to my feet and stepped onto the ladder. The electric current freezes me in place and I'm pulled up into the hovercraft. The door closed behind me and the electric current releases me. Two Capital attendants pull me to my feet and I'm taken to a sterile, white room and told to lay down on a table. Then, a doctor in a white coat lifts my shirt enough to see the slash. I felt a needle being pushed into my skin and then everything went numb. I somehow recognize that the doctor is stitching up my slash. I tried to keep my eyes open for when we land, but I found myself drifting off to sleep. Eventually, I stopped fighting it and let my eyes droop shut.

When I wake up, I'm in a different room. Just as pristine and white, but less of a hospital room and more of a bedroom feel. That's when I realize that I'm naked. Wonderful. I sat up and looked down at my side. Both the stitches and any trace of a scar from the slash, are both gone. My fingernails were filed into perfect ovals. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and looked at the shiny, dark blonde waves. My hair was like silk and had actually gotten longer since the arena. It fell to the very bottom of my back now. My skin was as soft as a baby's. I noticed the clothes laid out at the foot of the bed. It's what all the tribute wore in the arena. Of course they'd make me wear that to see my team again.

I got dressed quickly and the wall slid open into a door. I stepped out into a hallway that appeared to have no doors. Though, the room I was in didn't look like it had a door either, until the door opened. I glanced down the hall to my left and saw nothing, but turned when I heard someone call me name. I turned and saw Effie, Haymitch, and Tigris waiting in a big chamber at the end of the hall. I started walking to them, slowly first and then I broke into a run.

When I reached them, I hugged Tigris first.

"I knew you could do it," she whispered.

I smiled and let go of her, turning to Haymitch. Our relationship wasn't the best, but he smiled and held out his hand, which I shook.

"You did a good job," Haymitch said.

"Thanks," I replied.

I turned to a teary-eyed Effie and hugged her.

"I'm so proud of you," Effie said.

I pulled away. "Thank you."

"Alright, go with Tigris now. She has to get you ready," Effie said.

I nodded. Tigris took my hand and led me down a few passages and to an elevator that led to the lobby of the Training Center. Then it's up to the twelfth floor. I'm still in awe that I'm even here right now. I did it. I actually did it.

As soon as the elevator doors open, My prep team swarms around me. I can't really tell what they're saying but I know they're happy to see me. I'm glad to see them too. But, I mean, I'm happy to see anyone that's not another tribute in the arena.

After eating, Tigris disappeared while the prep team did their job. They handled the shower settings and then started on my hair, makeup, and nails. They were all talking so fast, I couldn't make out what they were saying, so I just smiled and nodded, actually happy to be here right now.

When they were done, Tigris re-entered the room, holding a burgundy dress. She slipped it over my head and I looked in the mirror. The dress was beautiful. Strapless, with a velvet burgundy bodice and the skirt was the same color and it reached all the way to the floor, swirling around my feet when I turned.

"It's beautiful," I said.

Tigris smiled. "Don't forget the shoes."

Lauria helps me into a pair of black wedge heels.

"There. Now you're ready," Tigris said.

We take the elevator to the level where we trained. It's customary for the victor and his or her support team to rise from beneath the stage. First the prep team, then the escort, the stylist, the mentor, and then the victor. We wait under the stage where there's a fairly cozy waiting room with a large metal plate in the middle to lift us each onto the stage.

Finally, I can hear Caesar Flickerman greeting the audience. The audience claps as the prep team is lifted onto the stage, followed by Effie, then Tigris, who receives applause of her own. Then it's Haymitch, and finally, it's my turn.

As I rise onto the stage, I'm nearly blinded by the lights and the audience erupts into applause and cheering. I regain my senses enough to step off the platform and walk towards the victor's chair, smiling. Caesar greets me with a handshake and says a few more things, more to the audience than to me, and then it's time to watch the highlights. I tried to keep my face calm through it all. First, they show the pre-arena events, then the actual games. They show all of Mal's death. I shift slightly in my seat, but I didn't give them much of a reaction. Of course, they had to show my kiss with Ethan, before he led the Careers away from me. Finally, it's the final battle between me and Zarah and it's over. Then the anthem starts playing and we rise and President Snow himself walks onto the stage, followed by a small girl carrying the crown on a cushion. I keep my face in a small smile and Snow sets the crown on my head. Snow is smiling, but his eyes held indifference, like he had other places he'd rather be. _Trust me, buddy. I'd rather be other places than here too._ I smile and wave to the audience until Caesar bids them goodnight after reminding them to tune in for the final interview tomorrow.

I'm whisked away to the president's mansion for the Victory Banquet after that. There's not all that much time to eat, because of the people basically elbowing each other out of the way to get a picture of the new Victor. I just keep smiling for pictures and waving at people.

I'm happy when we're finally taken back to the twelfth floor of the training center. Haymitch told me to get some sleep, but… You know me. I don't do what I'm told. So instead, I went back up to the roof to watch the sun peaking over the horizon. I stay there for a while, until I felt a tap on my shoulder. Surprisingly, I didn't jump. I didn't even turn around. I kept my eyes on the sunrise.

"Go away, Haymitch. I'm not going to bed," I said.

"I see you haven't changed."

The voice wasn't Haymitch's but I definitely knew it. I whirled around to face Finnick. He's got a smile on his face and opened his arms to me. I stepped forward and hugged him, my only real Capital friend.

"You did it," Finnick whispered.

It was then that I realized that Zarah and Grover were his tributes. I pulled away and looked at him.

"I'm sorry about Zarah and Grover," I said. Finnick chuckled.

"It's okay. They were jerks. I honestly didn't want them to win," Finnick said. I smiled.

I turned around and looked back at the sunrise, while Finnick moved to stand next to me.

"You get to go home soon," Finnick said.

"Yeah. I still can't believe I'm even here right now," I said.

"I'm not surprised. There was always something about you. I knew you could do it." Neither of us said anything for a while.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Finnick finally said.

"What?"

"That girl, Mal, that died. She was your friend, wasn't she?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks."

"If I ask about your district partner kissing you, are you going to yell at me?" I glanced at him.

"No."

"So, what was that about?"

"I have no idea."

"Were you together?"

"God, no. Maybe he had feelings for me, but I had no idea. He never showed it. I guess, I'll never know now."

"That's sad. But he obviously cared enough to sacrifice himself for you."

"You're not helping."

"Sorry."

Neither of us said anything for another long while.

"You know, you probably should sleep. You have your interview and stuff tomorrow. You don't want to be tired, trust me," Finnick finally said.

I smiled. "I know. You're right. It's good to see you again, Finnick."

"You too. I hope I can see you again before you leave for 12."

"I hope so too."

I walked over to the door and glanced back at him. He was smiling and watching me go. I smiled back at him and left.

The next morning, I was woken by Effie knocking loudly on my door, and then I have only a few minutes to eat something before my prep team appears. I don't even have to say anything. They just keep going on about the attention they got last night. I just let them talk.

My hair is braided into a warrior braid over my shoulder and my makeup is fierce with dramatic black eyeliner and shining ocean blue eyeshadow. My lips are kept a nude color so as not to take attention away from my eyes. I look beautiful and fierce.

Then Tigris comes in with my dress. It's black and strapless with blue, gold, and green jewels over the bodice, sewn to look like peacock feathers. The sheer layers flowed around me, while the silk underdress kept me covered. My shoes are gold gladiator sandals that almost reached my knees. I turned around to face Tigris when it was almost time to go. She held up something on a gold chain. My locket.

"How did you get that?"

"They found it amongst your clothes from the arena. I thought you might want it back," Tigris said with a smile.

I let her fasten it around my neck. It went perfectly with my outfit. I turned back to her.

"Thank you."

Tigris nodded. "Of course. Now go. You're going to be late.

The interview was held down the hall in the sitting room. Most of the space had been cleared and the victor's chair was now in the middle of the room, as well as another chair for Caesar. Caesar gave me a hug when I entered the room.

"Congratulations, my dear. You look stunning. How are you?" Caesar asked.

"I'm happy to be standing here, Caesar," I answered honestly.

"And we're all happy that you're here."

I sat somewhat stiffly in the victor's chair and crossed my ankles, trying not to look too uncomfortable. Caesar takes his seat and someone counts backward from five. Then we broadcasting to the entire country. No pressure, right? I love Caesar. He tries to make it less awkward and it works. Teasing, and joking. Most of my smiles are actually genuine.

"Now, if we talk about the moment of when Malerie's death for a moment," Caesar said. "What were your thoughts in the moment that you lost her?" I thought for a moment.

"That I was alone," I answered. "That I'd just lost my only friend in this entire thing. That…. There's no one to help me now."

"But then Ethan, your district partner forged an alliance with you. What was that like?"

"Uh, surprising. Ethan had been… very cold to me throughout the training. I didn't know what to think when he came to me."

"I see. Well, now, let's talk about what had all the audience in tears, including myself, that kiss and then he ran to save you. What was that like?"

"It was…. Strange. Like I said, he'd been very cold to me up until then and so, to think he'd had feelings for me the whole time… I- I just wish I could ask him why he never told me. I owe him a debt that I can never pay."

Caesar put his hand over his heart and had to take a moment.

"That's beautiful, my dear. I do wish we could leave it with that, but I must ask you about the final battle. What was going through your mind right then?"

I took a moment to answer and frowned slightly. "I just knew that if I could get through one more thing, I could go home. But…. Can I be honest with you, Caesar?"

"Of course."

"I had hoped that it would come down to be and Zarah from the moment that I watched her kill Mal. I wanted to be able to kill her, just like she killed my friend. And, Caesar, I'm not a violent person. But... I wanted to make Zarah pay for killing Mal, even if I died trying."

"That…. Has got to be the bravest thing I have ever heard, and I've been doing this a long time, my dear. You truly deserve your title."

"Thank you, Caesar."

Caesar signed off and then we were done. Everyone's laughing and crying. I just wanted to get out of that room. I walked to Haymitch.

"How did I do?" I asked.

"Great. You're actually good at this," Haymitch said.

I smiled and left the room.

There was nothing to get from my room. My locket was the only thing I had and it was already fastened around my neck. But I wasn't quite ready to leave and Effie had come to get me yet. So, where else would I go when I have some time to kill. I went to the roof.

The bright sun was high overhead. It was almost noon. I leaned against the ledge and looked over the city one more time. This is the first time I've been up here in the daytime and this is the last time I'll be here. It's interesting. I heard the door open behind me and turned. Who else could it be but Finnick? I smiled when I saw him and he did the same. I turned around as he walked over to me.

"You're still here," Finnick said.

"Not for long. We have to leave in a few minutes, but I thought maybe if I came up here, you'd show up. You have all these times before," I said.

"Well, I thought maybe you'd be up here and I wanted to say goodbye."

I nodded. I stepped forward at the same time that Finnick hugged me. I hugged him back until he leaned back and looked at me.

"Your hair's lighter now. More golden," Finnick commented.

"Yeah, well, it was sunny in the arena," I said. I sighed. "I should go, before Effie has a heart attack wondering where I am."

Finnick nodded. "Maybe I can see you on the victory tour."

"I hope so. I'm glad I got to meet you, Finnick."

"You too. Goodbye, Lily."

"Goodbye."

I stepped away from him and left the roof.

After saying goodbye to Tigris, a car with tinted windows drives us through the Capital streets. Even through the dark windows, I can still hear people cheering once and a while.

We reach the train, and almost immediately, the windows go completely dark as we go through a long tunnel. I'm glad Effie is here to accompany Haymitch and me back. We still butt heads a lot and an entire train ride with only him would probably end up with one of us dead.

After dinner and watching the replays of the interviews, I went back to my room and changed out on my gown and into a simple purple skirt that went to my knees along with a black shirt with short sleeves. I wash off the makeup and let my long hair out of its braid. It fell in tight waves down my back.

After stopping for fuel, we reached District 12 before sunset. I prepared myself for the cameras as I stood with Haymitch at the train door. The door slid open and we stepped out into the crowd. The flashing cameras were nearly blinding, but they back off after a couple of minutes. Haymitch disappeared into the crowd. As the sea of cameras parted, a short, ashy blonde boy appeared directly in front of me. Peeta.

I knelt down onto my knees as Peeta ran forward and leaped into my arms, clinging to me.

"You came back!" Peeta cried into my hair. Tears of happiness started to fall from my eyes.

"I promised you I would, didn't I?"

I pulled away and looked at his tear-stained little face.

"Come on, Peeta. Let's go home. It's time to face Mom and Dad."

Peeta was the only one of my family that met me at the train stop. That means I have to face my parents just on my own with no crowds and after the speech I made in my interview before the games, this could get ugly.

As soon as Peeta and I stepped inside the bakery, my other two brothers swarmed me and hugged me. I smiled and hugged them back. But I let go of them when my parents stepped into the room, a cold expression on both of their faces. I looked at all of my brothers.

"Boys, why don't you go play. Mom, Dad, and I need to talk alone, alright?" I told them.

They nodded and ran outside. I faced my parents.

"Mom. Dad," I greeted them.

"You're back," Mom said. Her voice was that steely calm that told me she was really angry. I expected that.

"Yeah, I'm back," I replied.

"So, you'll be moving into the Victor's village, then?" Dad asked.

"Yes."

I barely had time to duck before Mom grabbed a plate and threw it at my head. I dived to the side before it hit me. I'd expected her to throw something. I stood up straight again and met with my mother's angry red face.

"What were you thinking? You humiliated us on live TV in that interview? How could you?" Mother hissed.

"I only told the truth. You don't care about me. Neither of you do. You only see me as a ticket to a better life someday, if I pretend to be someone I'm not. I'm done with you," I said.

Mother slapped me across the face. I turned my face back to her and pushed her away from me. She stumbled back a bit, but kept her balance.

"You ungrateful little brat. You'll be who we want you to be, or you'll be out on the streets," Mother said. I smiled at her.

"No, Mother. You can't threaten to throw me out anymore. I have my own house, in the Victor's village no less. I'll be living there, while you're left in this stupid bakery to rot."

"Don't make me laugh, girl. You know you won't leave the brothers you love so much. If you walk out that door, you'll never see them again," Mother said with a dry laugh.

"No, I won't be leaving them. I'll be taking them with me. I've seen the bruises on my brother's faces. I know you've been hitting them. All I have to do is go to the Mayor and ask for custody of my brothers. I'm sure with a substantial bribe of my Victor money, he won't refuse."

"You can't take my sons away from me. They need parents. You're a child. You can't handle three boys," Mother argued.

"You're no mother. You're just an evil bitch," I spat.

I turned for the door and barely missed being hit with a pot that sailed past my head and hit the wall. I opened the door and looked back at my furious mother.

"Go to hell," I hissed.

I stepped out the door and shut it.

I found my brothers just by the front step. They all looked up at me when I walked over to them. I knelt down to their level.

"Now, boys. I'm going to be moving to the Victor's village and Mother and Father are not coming with me. In fact, I probably won't talk to them again. However, each of you have the option of coming with me, or staying here. I will be fine either way. But it's your choice. All of you. You're all old enough to make the decision. Vincent, you'll be fifteen in two months. Will, you've just turned thirteen. And Peeta, dear Peeta, even at twelve, you can choose where you want to stay. But sadly, you must choose now," I told them.

"Will we get to see Mom and Dad?" Vincent asked.

"I'm sure you can once in a while. I won't, but you can," I answered.

"I want to go with you," Peeta said. "Mom hates me anyway. I'm going with you." I smiled.

"Okay, Peeta. Vincent, Will, what about you?" Vincent and Will looked at each other. I thought they were going to decide to say, but they looked back at me and said, "We're going with you too."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. I think we'll be happier with you than with Mom and Dad. I think Mom might be losing it," Vincent said.

"Plus, if we don't have to work in the bakery, I won't get as many burns on my hands," Will added.

I laughed and hugged my brothers.

"Come on, boys. Let's get out of here before Mother turns on you too," I said.

Okay, guys. That's it for this chapter. Tell me what you thought in the reviews. I'll be updating soon. Also, in case you were wondering, if there was an actress that I would match to Lily, it would probably be Abigail Breslin. So, if you want to know what I think Lily would look like, Google Abigail Breslin. Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Bye guys, - Lily


	8. Chapter 8

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 8

Hey guys! So, this is actually the second-to-last chapter of this story. Don't freak out. There will be a sequel set in the first Hunger Games book that will be posted…. Sometime later this month. Stay tuned. Anyway, let's start the chapter!

Lily's POV:

The next day, I sent my brothers off to school and then headed to the Mayor's office in the town square. I walked inside and the receptionist looked up at me.

"I need to see Mayor Undersee," I told her.

"Of course. Right this way."

The receptionist led me down the hall to Mayor Undersee's office. She opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Lillian Mellark here to see you, Mr. Undersee," she said.

"Alright, Sofia. Let her in," a male voice replied.

Sofia opened the door for me and let me in before leaving. As I walked over to the desk, Mayor Undersee stood and shook my hand.

"Miss Mellark, our newest Victor. What brings you by?" he asked, sitting back down.

I sat down in the chair that was in front of the desk.

"Well, Mayor, I have a problem," I said.

"Pray tell."

"You see, my I have three brothers and I don't get along with my parents. In fact, as of yesterday, I may never speak to them again. However, my brothers are still in their custody and I need you to give me custody of them," I explained.

"I don't know about that. You're very young to have custody of three children. And why would you take your mother's and father's other children away from them?" Mayor Undersee asked.

"Mayor, I don't think you understand. My parents, my mother, she's completely unstable. And I've seen bruises on my brothers' faces, all of them. She's hitting them, I know it. And me leaving, it's only going to make her worse. Trust me, Mr. Undersee, they're not safe with her."

"My dear, I am sorry for the condition that you and your siblings live in, but you're so young. Are you sure you can handle three boys?"

"If I can survive that arena, I can handle my brothers. Please, Mayor Undersee. I can pay you if you want, but I need custody of my brothers. I'm begging you."

Mayor Undersee seemed to think for a moment.

"I'm sorry, my dear. You're just too young. I don't think you can handle taking care of three boys," Mayor Undersee finally said.

I was getting desperate now. "Mayor, please. If I have to send them back to my parents, I'll never see them again."

"I'm sorry, Miss Mellark. Perhaps, you can patch things up with your parents enough for them to let you see your siblings. But I cannot grant you custody at this time."

"Mayor Undersee, please. My brothers are innocent. My mother is completely unstable. They're not safe with her."

"I'm sorry. My mind is made up."

"Look, I'm sure your taking my parents side because you're imagining what it would be like to lose your child. You have a daughter, yes?"

"Yes, I do."

"So, you probably don't want other parents to go through the pain of losing their children, right? Well, let me tell you something, Mayor Undersee. My mother is no parent. She is mean, judgmental, unstable, uncaring, and dangerous. When I came home from the games and I had the argument with my parents about myself and my brothers, my mother threw two things at my head and slapped me within a span of about, twenty-minutes. As for my father, he stood by and did nothing like a statue. If you make me send them back there, you'll be putting them in more danger then you understand. I might be young, but I could do a better job at taking care of them than my mother ever could."

"Look, Lily. I understand that you think your mother will hurt your brothers badly, but you don't understand the love that all parents feel for their children. Your mother's love is in there somewhere. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for you to patch things up with her. She was probably just angry. I'm sure that there is no safer place for your brothers, than with your parents. I'm sorry, but I cannot grant you custody at this time. You'll have to return your brothers to the home of your parents and I encourage you to patch things up with them."

Alright, fine. You've forced my hand. I do have one more backup plan. "Mayor, do you realize how much money and jewels is given to each Victor?" I pulled a check out of my bag and held it up. "Do you know what this is? This is a check for 10,000. Do you know what this money could do for District 12, sir? The poorest district? I'm sure we could use this."

"What are you proposing, Miss Mellark?" Mayor Undersee asked.

I smiled. "It's simple. This check for some simple custody transfer papers. Trust me, Mayor Undersee. You don't want to pass this up."

Mayor Undersee thought for a moment, then looked toward the door. "Sofia, bring me a custody form!"

A minute later, Sofia walked in, set a paper down on the desk, and walked out. Mayor Undersee sat in silence filling out the form, while I sat in my seat, doing a happy dance inside my head. Finally, the mayor looked up and handed me the form.

"Alright, Miss Mellark. You've got your wish. Custody of your brothers. I hope you know what you're doing," he said.

I smiled and slid the check across the desk. "Trust me, Mayor. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Not long after I got back to my house, my brothers got home from school. Immediately, the three of them flocked into the kitchen and swarmed around me, all asking if I got the papers.

"Oh, oh, okay, okay. Calm down, guys," I said.

"Did you get the papers? Do we have to go back with Mom and Dad?" Vincent asked.

I gave him a look. "Don't insult me." I pulled the papers out of my pocket. "As far as I'm concerned, we never have to see that woman again. We're free, you guys. We're finally free."

They all swarmed around me in a big group hug. I hugged them back as well. I know I'm taking on a lot, but I think I can do this. If I can survive fighting for my life in a huge arena, I can handle taking care of my younger siblings. Besides, I couldn't live with myself if I left them with my mother. And Dad, well…. I suppose he really didn't do anything much, but he's not going to stand up to Mom. That's just how it is. Finally, my brothers let go of me and I was able to breathe again. I knelt down to their level and looked at them all seriously.

"Alright, guys. I need to know. I have to be a good guardian here. I'm sorry, but… You still have to do your homework," I said.

"Ugh!" they all complained at the same time.

"Hold on!" I held up my hands. "You didn't let me finish. After you three do your homework, how about we run down to the market and get some of that candy you three are so obsessed with?"

I barely managed to keep my balance when the three boys swarmed around me again, practically jumping up and down with excitement. It's understandable. Mom and Dad never did anything fun for them, except on their birthdays, and only after Dad somehow talked Mom into it. After another minute, I finally got them to let go of me.

"Alright, guys. Hugging me isn't getting you out of homework. Go get your backpacks. Come on," I told them.

After a minute of grumbling, they walked off to go find their backpacks. I shook my head to myself. I know this is going to be a challenge. I know it's going to be hard. But this is what's best for everyone involved.

A few minutes later, I walked into the living room to check on the boys. Sure enough, they were all doing their homework. I quietly walked back out so I didn't distract them. I was on my way back to the kitchen with a book, when there was a knock at the door. Well, it was less of a knock and more of someone banging on the door extremely loudly. I knew who it was before I even opened the door.

With a moment a hesitation, I pulled the door open and met with the angry face of my mother.

I kept my face calm and blank. "Can I help you?"

"Where are they?" Mother asked angrily.

I blinked. "Where's who?"

"You know who! Where are my sons?!"

I resisted the urge to smile. "Mother, I don't think you have any children." I held up the custody papers. "At least, not anymore."

Mother snapped the paper and looked at it, her face steadily getting redder as she read it. She started shaking her head adamantly. "You can't do this. That's not possible!"

I smiled. "Oh, it's very possible. In fact, it's happening. I'd suggest you leave. This is private property."

Mother opened her mouth to say something, but that's when Vincent appeared in the doorway next to me.

Mother's angry eyes focused on him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you and your brothers? Running of with…" Her eyes flicked to me. "With the mistake?"

Vincent stood up straight. "Don't talk about her like that. She's my sister and she can take better care us than you ever could."

Mother stepped forward and slapped Vincent across the face. "How dare you?"

Now that made me angry. I grabbed her arm and pushed her backwards. Mother stumbled down the steps, but kept her balance.

I leaned against the doorway and glared daggers at her. "Touch my brother again, I'll rip your head off. Don't show up here again."

I waited until she stumped off, and then closed the door before facing Vincent. Jesus, he's gotten tall. He's almost my height now, only a few inches shorter than me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Vincent replied. "I'm really glad you got us away from her."

I hugged my brother. "Me too."

Alright, guys. That's it for this chapter. I'm sorry it's taken me a while to finish it. I'll try to get the next one up soon. Let me know what you thought in the reviews, and I'll see you next time. Bye guys, - Lily


	9. Chapter 9

The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 9

Hey, guys! Here we are, the ninth and final chapter. As you can see, it is only the ninth chapter, because I deleted the little character profile at the beginning. I just thought it was unnecessary. Anyway, I will try to get the first chapter of the sequel up later this month, but I have a lot of things going on, so I might be a little late. Just bear with me. Let start the chapter!

Lily's POV:

It's been a few months now, and everything's been fine. I haven't heard from Mother or Dad since Mother showed up that one time, and that's how I want it to stay. Vincent, now fifteen, has been a huge help with the other two. Will is the top of his class, and Peeta has been coming out of his shell a lot more and actually talking to other people at school. Me? I'm a little nervous about my upcoming victory tour, but I'm mostly fine. I'll also be sixteen in January. It's December now. Vincent and I are always the same age for a while before my birthday. We're about eleven months apart.

Like I said, I haven't had any trouble with my mother in months. I've barely even seen her around town, actually. Then again, she was never much for leaving the house in the first place. Plus, everyone in town hates her, so… Why would she leave the house?

Christmas is approaching fast, and the boys are practically bouncing off the walls, they're so excited. Mom never really let us do anything for Christmas. To her, it should just be seen as another work day. I intend to change that. Still, when you've got two preteen boys jumping around with excitement every day, it gets a little stressful. But I'm dealing. At least Vincent is a little too old to be that excited, which helps.

Anyways, it's exactly a week until Christmas and the four of us are headed into town today for decorations. Thing is, I can't concentrate on looking at anything, because Peeta is literally jumping up and down right now. Honestly, it's like he ate pounds of sugar.

"Okay, Peeta…" I put my hands on his shoulders. "I know you're excited, but nothing is going to get done if I can't concentrate. And for me to concentrate, I need you to calm down."

But Peeta wasn't listening anymore. He was staring past me, outside the store window. Turning around, I followed his gaze. Walking down the opposite road, probably headed for the Hob at the edge of town, was Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne.

I smiled and chuckled as I looked down at my brother, who was still staring at Katniss. "Oh, I see. Someone has a crush, doesn't someone."

Peeta gave me a sideways glance. "Maybe _someone_ does… Probably Vincent. Will has his nose shoved in a book too much to like anyone."

I raised my eyebrows. "Mm-hmm, sure, let's go with Vincent. Although, I don't see Vincent staring at Katniss across the street."

Peeta turned away from the window and shuffled his feet. "I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, look, Christmas lights! They look interesting."

Peeta took off toward the lights. I chuckled to myself. Wait a minute… Peeta's over there, but where are—

"Peeta?" I called. "Where are your brothers?"

Peeta looked up from the light display he was looking at. "Will went to the library. And… I think Vincent is… Oh, he's over there."

Peeta pointed to the other side of the store and I turned to see what he was pointing at. On the other side of the store, was Vincent—Is he flirting with that girl? She looks older than me! Oh, I'm gonna kill—Wait… Oh, crap. That's Carrigan Elliot… Ethan's older sister.

I took a deep breath. "Peeta, stay here for a second, okay?"

"Okay," Peeta replied absently. He'd gone back to looking at the lights.

Slowly, I walked over to Carrigan and Vincent, stopping behind Vincent and crossing my arms, and scolding look on my face.

"Vincent Oliver Mellark," I said.

Vincent froze and slowly turned to face me. "Hi… Lily."

I raised my eyebrows. "'Hi'? Is that all the you have to say? What do you think you're doing?"

"We were just talking—"

"Talking? That wasn't talking, that was flirting on your part. I'm not stupid. Now, march yourself over there and go watch your brother, okay? Come on, go."

His shoulders slouching a bit, Vincent walked away and back over to Peeta by the lights.

I turned to Carrigan. "I'm sorry if he was bothering you."

Carrigan chuckled. "It's okay, really. I found it kind of cute, actually. I'm almost twenty, he's obviously way too young for me."

I hesitated. "Carrigan, um…"

"I know who you are," she interrupted, her dark eyes now sad. "You're Lily, our newest Victor… The girl my brother loved."

"Look, I didn't know he was going to—"

Carrigan put her hand on my arm. "Lily, it's okay. I don't blame you. I'm sure Ethan doesn't either, given how he died."

A pang went through my chest. "I am really sorry, Carrigan."

"I know." She glanced behind me at Peeta and Vincent. "You obviously have people who need you… I'm glad you made it back, if Ethan couldn't."

"Still… You must miss your brother."

Carrigan nodded. "I do. But yours are lucky that they have you to take care of them. I've met your mother a few times… She's really quite awful."

"Yes, that she is. Um, I should get going."

"Of course. It was nice to meet you."

"You too."  
I turned and walked back to my brothers. Vincent turned to face me when I reached them.

"Do you know her?" he asked.

Though I could hear him, my thoughts were far away… Back to the arena. "Her name is Carrigan Elliot," I finally replied. "She's…. She's Ethan's older sister."

Vincent went pale. "Oh…"

I snapped back to the present and crossed my arms again, the over-protective-big-sister look back on my face. "Yes, well, she's also almost twenty, which means that she's way too old for your barely-fifteen-year-old self. What were you thinking?"

Vincent shrugged innocently.

"Ugh," I grumbled. I reached up and ruffled his hair, just to annoy him. "Look, wither you're three inches taller than me or not, you're still my little brother. I don't care if you want to fail at talking to girls, but they better damn-well be your same age, got it."

Vincent just started mumbling. "Yeah, yeah, I got—Wait… What do you mean _fail_ at talking to girls?"

I cleared my throat and tried to resist laughing. "Oh, nothing. Come on, Peeta, let's go get your other brother from the library."

I turned and started walking, Peeta at my side. I knew Vincent was following by the sound of his grumbling.

A week later, the sun was setting on Christmas Eve. I'd been cooking all day, with Peeta's help, while Will and Vincent put up so many decorations in the living room, I'm starting to wonder how they all fit. Peeta had frosted an entire village of gingerbread houses, and was very invested in it. He was wearing one of those fluffy baker hats and everything. I, on the other hand, had my hair up in a falling-out bun, my sleeves rolled up, and an apron, covered in flour. Although, I must say, if there's one good thing I got from my mother, it was definitely her gift for cooking, if I do say so myself. Just as I was taking the last pie out of the oven, I heard a knock at the door. What could that be? Grumbling, I pulled off my oven mites and started toward the door.

"Peeta, if something starts burning, yell," I called over my shoulder.

"Okay," Peeta replied absently, still staring at his masterpiece of a village, looking for any needed details.

I walked down the hall and pulled the door open, half expecting it to be my mother showing up to cause trouble again, but it wasn't. Standing on the other side of the door was Carrigan, leaning on the railing, holding a black box against her hip.

"Carrigan," I said, surprised. "What are you doing here? Uh, not that you're not welcome, I just—"

"I know," she interrupted. "I didn't mean to surprise you, but, um… I was looking through Ethan's old room, and, I, um, found this." She held up the box. "It's for you."

I frowned. "N-no, I couldn't—"

"Please. If you knew what I knew… Look, he'd want you to have it. He just… Never got up the courage to give it to you. I think it was supposed to be your birthday present, but… Ethan was really quiet, and had a hard time talking to anyone. Just take it."

I stared at her for a minute, then slowly took the box from her arms. "What is it?"

Carrigan shrugged. "No idea. I didn't open it."

There was a small silence.

"I should probably be going." Carrigan started to turn away.

"Wait," I put a hand on her shoulder and she turned, "do you want to come in? We've got more than enough food, and my youngest brother would love to have someone else to show his precious gingerbread village to. But, if you have somewhere to be, I understand."

Carrigan shook her head and smiled a little. "No, I don't. You know what? Yeah, I'd love to see your brother's gingerbread village."

I laughed. "Come on in, then."

I stepped back and Carrigan walked inside the house.

Later, after Carrigan had gone home and my brothers were all in bed, I was still sitting in my dark bedroom, staring at the box in front of me. I hadn't gotten up the courage to open it yet. Okay, Lily, you just have to do it. That's what—My thoughts faltered…. That's what Ethan would want. Slowly, with shaking hands, I lifted the lid off of the box and set it down. Inside the box, was a folded note, and a much smaller box. I picked up the note first before slowly unfolding it and starting to read.

 _Lily,_

 _I'm not even entirely sure that you know who I am, but… I couldn't think of another way to tell you everything that I want to. I'm the boy that sits at the back of the class and doesn't talk to anyone. I'm the boy who watches everyone else's problems around him… says nothing, just watches. I'm the boy that has to leave a box on her doorstep, just to tell the girl he loves how he feels…. That's me._

 _You? You're the girl that everyone is jealous of. Brilliant, beautiful, kind, strong… everything that makes someone worth loving. How could I not fall for you, really? I doubt that you'd ever feel the same way, and I doubt you even know I exist. I mean… You could have your pick of any other suitor. But I… I couldn't live with myself if I never said this: I love you, Lily. I've loved you for years, and I'll love you for many more, always. Your laugh, your courage, your kindness, your stubbornness…. Everything that makes you… Lily. There's so many more things I could put in this note, but... Well, that would take way too long._

 _All my love,_

 _Ethan_

I must've read it at least four times before it actually sank in. I was only able to focus again when tear drops fell and splattered onto the paper. Slowly, I set the note down next to me, tears falling from my eyes. After the arena, I'd obviously known that he had feelings for me, but… Never that he felt this strongly…. And now he's gone. Gone, forever, because he felt this way. Half of me just wanted to curl into a ball and cry, but the other part was still curious. Hands violently shaking, I picked the smaller box out of the bigger and set the big one on the floor before lifting the lid of the black, velvet-wrapped box. Inside, on a thin, gold chain with a wreath of tiny gold leaves around it, was and obsidian pendant that sat perfectly in the palm of my hand. In the center of the pendant was a pure, clear, amethyst in the shape of a lily. This was the most beautiful necklace I'd ever seen. This was something you should only be able to find in the Capital, or District 1. How did Ethan afford this? The necklace only made me cry more. The chain was just long enough to fit over my head without unclasping it. It fit perfectly next to my locket. I set the velvet box on the bedside table and curled onto my side, letting the tears fall onto the pillow, hoping they would stop. But they didn't, they just got worse. A low sob escaped me and I didn't try to stop it… I couldn't. Everything else was quiet and peaceful. I simply stared at the moon outside, through clouded, teary eyes. Then I heard the door creek open behind me and quickly wiped my eyes before looking over my shoulder.

"Peeta," I said, looking at the small boy in the doorway. "What is it?"

"I heard you crying," Peeta replied. "Are you okay?"

I swung my legs over and sat up. "I'm fine, Peeta, I just… never mind."

Peeta closed the door and sat down next to me. "Is it about Ethan? He was Carrigan's brother, wasn't he?"

I nodded slowly, surprised that he knew all that. "Yes."

"Are you sad that he died?"

I decided not to tell Peeta everything. "Of course. I'm sad anybody had to die. Mal, Ethan… The entire Hunger Games is barbaric, you know that."

Peeta leaned his head against my arm. "I hope I never get picked."

I reached up and stroked his ashy hair. "Me too, Peeta. Me too."

 **Okay, you guys, that is it for this, the final chapter of The Seventieth Hunger Games, although I'm wondering if I should do a bonus chapter or two of Lily's reaction when Peeta gets picked and everything, so tell me in the reviews if I should do that. The official sequel, however, will be set in the Quarter-Quell. *Grins maliciously*** **I have plans for the Quarter-Quell. Also, I have a bit of a problem/slash idea. I originally planned this story with Lily ending up with Finnick, but… If I could find a way for Ethan would still be alive, do you guys think it would be better if Lily ended up with him? Who do you guys ship more? Finnick + Lily, or Ethan + Lily. Tell me in the reviews. Also, can you guys see the cover image that I attached? I don't know if you can. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, I don't know why, but, whatever. It's just a picture of a Young Abigail Breslin, who is the face claim for Young Lily. I hope it works and you guys can see it. Alright, I'm done rambling now. I'll see you guys soon. Bye guys, - Lily**


	10. SEQUEL!

**Guys, the sequel to this story is finally here! It is called The Quarter-Quell and you can find it on my profile. I hope you guys like it and please favorite, follow, review, etc. I love you all, and I'll see you in the sequel. Bye, everyone, - Lily**


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